lewis



Feb. 2l, 1956 H. B. I r-:wls 2,735,099

SAFETY HAT Filed April 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Y Feb. 21, 1956 H. B. LEWIS 2,735,099

SAFETY HAT Filed April 2e, 1952 2 sheets-sneer 2 United States Patent O SAFETY HAT Howard B. Lewis, Newport Beach, Calif. Application April 26,1952, Serial No. 234,576

2 Claims. (CL/2 3) This invention relates toV safety hats and,v more particularly, to safety hatsv of the type which include a relatively rigid external shell which has disposed inV the' interior thereof a head-engaging cradlel for supporting saidI shell in spaced relationship with the head.

In conventionalV safety hats of the aforementioned type, the cradle usually consists of a head-encompassing band and a plurality of upwardly directed head-engaging straps,` the headband and the straps being secured to the shell of the. hat at spacedpoints toVV maintain the cradle in` operative, but spaced', relationship with the interior of the shelliv In' such prior art constructions,.the aiixation of the various components of the cradle toV the` shell,. although maintaining said cradle in spaced relationshipI with the interior of the shell, frequently results in the imposition of undesirably heavy shock loads on the headk of the wearer of the hat due to the fact that blows sustained by the shelll areI transmitted through the cradle at the spaced points of support of the cradle componentsfupon the shellf and are imposedI upon thehead of the wearer of the hat in concentrated blows at suchv spacedpoints. Forinstance, if an object weighing approximately iive pounds is dropped from a height' of seventy-five (7.5 )l feet'whichlis notan uncommon occurrence in the building and shipping industries, and strikesthe shellv of aY conventional-safetyl hat'o'n the area of approximately three square inches, the shock load will be transmitted from the' shelly to the cradle through the spaced localized points of attachment ofthe cradley to thefshell, and-'since the positions of thecradle at the spaced` localized points of attachment arein continu ous contact with the head of the wearer of the hat, the shock. load' sustained by theV shell willT be immeasurably magnified and increasedby' its concentrationlat the l'ocal'- ized points of attachment of' the cradle to-A the shell.

Furthermore, since the impositioni of shockloads` and' blows'upon4 the externall shell of conventionalhats is very' lrarely symmetrically distributed throughout the shellv and thus throughout' thelheadlengagin'g cradle, it is-obvious that the unsymmetrically sustained' shock and impact loads will be transmitted throughy localized points of attachment of th'ehead-engaging cradleinan unsymmetricalpattern, thus materially increasing the danger of injury to the head of the wearer of a conventionalhat becauseV ofl such asymmetrical: distribution of' impact load.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention-to provide a safety'hat which includes an external" shellr and'V a head'- engaging cradleV consisting of a head-encompassingzheadband and; aplurality of upwardly directed, converging, head engaging straps which are' secured to' the interior of the shell insuch a manner that large, localized, or unsymmetrically distributed: shock loads will not be imposed at spaced localized points on the'head of 'thewearer of the hat, but-Willbe distributed throughoutl the cradle'tominif mize the possibility ofv injury to'th'e` wearer. ofthe hat.

In addition, the customary localized aixation of, the head-engaging cradles of :J1-conventional. safety hat to the shell thereof results in a reduction of the useful4 life of ice 2, such cradle since the localizedv afixation and securement of portions of the cradle tothe shell of the hat and the imposition of excessive loads thereupon, in the above described manner, results in the premature wear of the cradle of such hat.

An additional object of my invention is the provision,- in a safety hat including'an external shell and an` internal head-engaging cradle, of mounting means designed to avoid the concentration of impact loads translated from the shell into the cradle at localized points, the mounting means including engagement arms for engaging major portions of the cradle which are designed to uniformly distribute shock and impact loads sustained by the shell over the head of the wearer of the hat, thus reducing the maximum load to which any portion of the head of the wearer is subjected. Moreover, since. the. engaging portions of the mounting means distribute the load sustained by the shell uniformly throughout the cradle, excessive wear due to localized aiixation of prior art cradles is eliminated and the life of cradles utilized in the present invention is materially prolonged.

In conventional? safety hat structures, the headband, due to its being mounted at localized spacedpoints on the interior of the shell, and in spite of its being reinforced by an internal stifener, is apt to be twisted andi otherwise distorted along the unsupported segments of its length between the localized points of aixation'. Suchtwisting and distortion reduce the life of the headband of the cradle and reduce the comfort of the wearer of such a hat.

An additional object of my invention is the provision, in a safety hat of the'aforementioned character, of mounting means havingv a plurality of engaging portions for engaging the internally disposed' cradle and adapted to uniformly distribute, throughoutv the cradle, shock loads imposed upon the shellfof` the hat: and, furthermore, to stiften the headband of thecradle to Lreduce ll'ection and distortion therein, materially increasingthelifeofthe headband and the comfort of the wearer of the hat; y

A further object of my invention is the provision, in safety hat of the aforementioned character, of mounting means for securing the headbandl ofr the cradle to the shell of the hat, saidA mounting meanshaving elongated arms engageable' with retention means on the head1 band and being suiiicientl'y rigidto support the headband in a predetermined, substantially circular configuration but sufliciently resilient to be deectedlaterally by the entry of the head of the wearer ofthe hat intothe headband. An associated object of my invention is the provision of mounting means of the aforementioned character whose engagement arms are disposed in oppositely oriented pairs for engaging oppositely disposedy spaced pairs of retention means provided on the headband of the cradle.

Due-to the-factithat1 safety'hats are utilized primarily in heavy' construction andv the4 cradles` thereof subjected to perspiration and other deteriorating factors, and particularly the headbands thereof, it is desirable that they be readily removablessothatzfreshfcradles and headbands may be substitutedftherefor.

Another object'of myA invention is' the provision, in a haty of the aforementioned character, of mounting means includinga plurality of elongated,` resilient, engagement arms designed tobereceived in elongated sockets provided in the beadbandof: a headaengaging cradle, said engagement armsbeing` suiciently resilient tol beY deflected' inwardly toward the center of the shell ofrthe hat topermit` the expeditious removal of theheadbandfromvthe engagement arms-and the' easy dispositionl of a fresh headband thereupon.

A further object of my invention ,i's the provisionV of mountingmeans for a safety hat: which includesasecuring portion' for securing the. mounting: means to thel shell of the hat, headband engagement means for engaging the headband of the cradle of the hat, and strap fastening means formed integrally with said headband engagement means for fastening the ends of the head-engaging straps to said shell.

A safety'hat of the character under discussion here is' frequently` utilized in areas where electrical installations` are being made or where high voltage lines are installed so that' the 'possibility of the head of the wearer of the hat inadvertently coming into contact with a'high voltage line is always imminent. `Another object of my invention is the provision of fastening means for the cradle mounting means of the safety hat of my invention which are electrically isolated from said mounting means to electrically isolate the cradle and, therefore, the head of the wearer of the safety hat to prevent the possibility of electric current flowing'through the fastening means'and the cradle and thus into the head of the wearer of the hat.`

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following speciiication and the accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the shell of a safety hat constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig.'2 is a bottom planview taken in thedirection of the arrow 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view taken from the broken line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the mounting means of the safety hat of my invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on the broken line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partly sectional view taken from the broken line 7 7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view taken from the broken line 8-8 of Fig. 7; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged, fragmentary, partly sectional views of alternative means utilized in electrically isolating the fasteners for securement ofthe mounting means of my invention from said mounting means.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. l-3 thereof, I show a safety hat 10 constructed in accordance with my invention and including an outer, substantially rigid, impact load sustaining shell 11 or helmet of hat-like configuration which may be formed of various types of plastic impregnated fabrics or materials, such as thermosetting resin impregnated cloth, canvas, or fiber 'glass cloth, and various other types of materials having dielectric characteristics or, if the head of the wearer is not exposed to Contact with electric lines, the shell can be formed of aluminum and various other metals. The above description of the material from which the shell of the hat can be formed is not intended to be an exhaustive catalog of the various types of materials which may be utilized in this construction, but is intended merely to be illustrative.

The outer shell 11 includes a crown portion 12 which has integrally formed at its lowermost perimeter a laterally extending, substantially concave brim 1l3. Disposed internally of and in spaced relationship with the interior wall of the shell 11, by means of mounting means, indicated generally at 15, is a head-engaging harness or cradle 1S which includes a substantially circular headencompassing headband 19 and a plurality of upwardly directed, converging, head-engaging straps 20. The cradle 18 is designed to support the outer shell 11 in spaced relationship with the head of a wearer to prevent direct translation of impact loads sustained by the outer shell 11 to the head of the wearer of the hat. Y

Each of the cradle mounting means is secured to the interior of the crown portion 12 of the outer shell 11 by means of rivets 22 and includes a pair of cradle engagement means 24 constituted by spaced,V oppositely oriented, elongated, resilient, engagement arms 25'which are formed integrally with securing portions 27 having openings 28 for receiving the shanks of the rivets 22. The mounting means 15 may be stamped or otherwisev fabricated from sheet metal or, if desired, can be formed of plastic impregnated fabric laminates or other dielectric material, for reasons which will be made apparent below. The securing portions 27 are substantially planar in character and designed to lie flush with the interior wall of the crown portion 12 of the shell 11. The securing portions 27 of the cradle mounting means 15 are connected to the engagement arms 25 by means of instruck, angularly oriented, segments 30 of the mounting means and are thus integral therewith.

Disposed between and formed integrally with the securing portions 27 is a fastening bar 32 which is oriented in substantially chordal fashion with the circular interior of the crown 12 of the shell 11 and thus disposed in spaced relationship therewith by means of angularly instruck segments 33 of the mounting means 15. Formed integrally with the lowermost edge of the fastening bar 32 is an elongated bead or lip 3S which provides a smooth, noncutting, lowermost edge for receiving the bight of a strap 20 .which is secured about the fastening bar 32, in a manner to be described in greater detail below.

The headband 19, as best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, includes an inner fold 38 formed of leather, artificial leather, or plastic impregnatedV fabric and has an upturned outer edge 39 to which is secured an upturned outer fold 40, as by means of stitching 41. The outer and inner folds 40 and 38, respectively, define therebetween an upwardly opening cavity 42 in which is disposed an'annular stiftener 43 which is formed Yof somewhat more rigid material than the inner and outer fldsV of the 'headband 19 vand may include heavy leather, plastic impregnated fabric such as fabricoidf-,plastic impregnated cardboard, and various materials having similar semi-rigid characteristics. The lower edge of the stiffener 43 is secured to the upturned edge 39 of the inner fold.y

38 by means of the stitching 41 and to the upper edge of the outer fold 40 by means of stitching 45.

`Formed-in the outer fold 40 of the headband 19 is`a plurality of vertically oriented slots 48 which are arranged` in spaced pairs 50, as best shown in Figs. 2, 7 and 8 of the drawings, and which thus ncommunicate with the an-V nular space 52' between the interior of the outer fold 40 and thcupturned edge 39 of the inner fold 38. The

vertically oriented slots -48 thus provide the entrances to a plurality of pockets `disposed about the perimeter of the headband 19 and constitute the retention means for the headband.

- The elongated, resilient arms 25 of the engagementy meansV 15 are, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7 of the drawings, adapted to have their free outermost ends insertedthrough the slots 48 and into the annular space 52 between the outer fold 40 and the upturned edge 39 of the inner fold 38 to mount the headband 19 in spaced relationshipwith the interior of the crown 12 of the outer shell 11.j Therefore, when impact loads are sustained by theouter shell V11, they are transmitted through the rivets 22 and into the elongated arms 25 of the mounting means for substantial distances about the perimeter of the headband A19 and the relatively large areas of the head of theY wearer of the hat 10 engaged by the supportedportions rially 'reducing the chance of injury tothefhead ofthe wearer reducing the discomfortoccasioned by the suspension of theheadband at localized points.

,Furthermore, .it will be noted that silient. mounting arms 25 serve tofcontour, to a certain extentgtherelatively flexible headband and prevent axial twisting andA torsion of the headband'on the, h eadof-the,v wea'rercfthe hat 10 and maintain itginpredetermined the elongated, rel configuration so that it is not necessary to manually adjust the headband 19 prior to the placing of the hat 10 upon the head.

In addition, the fact that impact loads are distributed throughout substantial portions of the perimeter of the headband 19 materially reduces the wear occasioned by localized point support of headbands found in prior art safety hats and thus greatly increases the wear which can be expected of headbands constructed in accordance with the invention of applicant. Another worthwhile aspect of applicants construction is the fact that, by the utilization of the elongated resilient mounting arm and the elongated retention means constituted by the pocket in the headband 19 provided by the annular space 52 therein, facile installation and removal of the headband 19 from the elongated arms 25 is possible. For instance, if it is desired to remove the headband 19, the headband can be readily stripped from the elongated arms 25 by dellecting them inwardly toward the center of the hat and slipping the elongated arms 25 from the pockets and through the vertically oriented slots 48 in the outer folds 40 of the headband. When it is desired to install a fresh headband 19 in the hat 10, the resilient arms are sprung inwardly toward each other until they are disposed substantially radially of the center of the hat 10 and the ends of the arms 25 are then fitted into the slots 48 and permitted to return to their normal positions. Thus, the removal and installation of headbands can be accomplished in a matter of seconds and the complicated procedures incident to installation and removal of headbands of prior art constructions are obviated.

It will be noted that, as best shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, the opposite ends 5S and 56 of the headband 19 are adapted to be secured together by the insertion of the end 56 within the space 42 between the stiifener 43 and the inner fold 38, the end 56 being provided with a plurality of spaced openings 58 adapted to be juxtaposed to similarly spaced openings 59 in the end 55 and to be secured in such juxtaposition by means of the loop in a tie 60. The overlapping of the ends 55 and 56 of the headband 19 and the provision of the cooperating openings 58 and 59 therein, together with the provision of the tie 69, permit the adjustment of the headband 19 to conform to the head size of the wearer of the safety hat 10. When such adjustment takes place, it is accommodated by the additional length of the elongated arms 25 as shown at A in Fig. 7 of the drawings, and the adjustment of the band 19 does not entail any re-positioning of said band on the supporting means 15.

Each of the head-engaging straps 20 of the cradle 18 has a bight 62 formed therein which is looped over the fastening bar 32 of the mounting means 15 and encompasses the bead of said bar which thus prevents wear on the portion of the bight overlying the lowermost edge of the fastening bar 32 and materially increases the effective life thereof. The upper ends of the lower legs 64 of the bights 62 of the head-engaging straps 20 are stitched together, as at 65, while the upper legs 66 of the bight 62 are provided with loops 67 which are engaged by an adjustable tie 69 which can be expanded or contracted to increase or decrease, respectively, the spaces between the loops 67 and correspondingly increase or decrease the lengths of the upper and lower legs 66 and 64 of the bights 62 of the straps 20. It will be noted that two of the straps 20, as indicated at 70 in Fig. 2, are formed from a single length of webbing, or similar material, a fold being formed by the stitching 65 intermediate the ends thereof, and opposite ends being threaded over the fastening bars 32 and being provided with loops 67 to be engaged by the tie 69. The other strap is formed with a single bight 62 whose one end is stitched to the folded intermediate portion of the dual strap at 65 and whose other end is provided with a loop 67, as best shown in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that, while the lowermost ends of the straps 20 overlie the outer fold 40 of the headband 19, there is no positive inter-connection between the straps 20 and the headband 19. The load imposed upon the outer shell 11 of the safety hat 10 is translated directly from the shell through the fastening bar 32 into the individual straps 20 associated therewith and into the headband 19 through the elongated, laterally extending, engagement arms 25 of the mounting means 15. It is obvious, therefore, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, that practically the entire perimeter of the headband is supported by the laterally extending engagement arms 25 and that, in the intermediate areas between the inner ends of pairs of engagement arms 25, the bights 62 of the straps 20 augment the function of the headband 19 in distributing shock loads throughout substantially the entire circumference of the head of the wearer of the safety hat 10 rather than subjecting it to localized impact loads. The uniform distribution of shock loads accomplished by the construction ofv a safety hat in accordance with my invention is a most important feature thereof since, in addition to increasing the comfort of the wearerof the hat, the life of the components of the cradle 18 is materially prolonged.

It will also be noted that, as best shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, the length of the fastening bars 32 of the mounting means 15 is somewhat greater than the width of the bights 62 of the strap 20 secured thereabout. Thus, a certain amount of tolerance is provided for the bight 62 of thestraps 20 on the fastening bars 32 of the mounting means 15, permitting the bights to shift longitudinally on the bars 32 when the movement of the head of the wearer of the safety hat 10 necessitates the accommodation of movement of the bights 62 on the bars 32 and eliminating, to a large extent, any twisting or distortion of the straps 20 on the head of the wearer of the hat.

It will also be noted that the mounting means 15 of my invention serves both to support the headband 19 in spaced relation with the interior of the outer shell 11 and also serves to secure the bights 62 to the interior of the outer shell 11 at substantially the same point of engagement as the mounting arms 25 make with the headband 19. Furthermore, the construction of the mounting means 15, by permitting the attachment of the bights 62 of the straps 20 between the points of engagement of the arms 25 with the headband 19, prevents the imposition of unequal loads on either the straps 2t) or the headband 19 and assures that the load will be substantially equally distributed about and above the head of the wearer of the safety hat 10.

When a safety hat 10, constructed in accordance with my invention, is to be utilized in areas where the wearer is exposed to danger of contact with high voltage electric lines, the dielectric outer shell 11 will serve to isolate the head of the wearer from danger of electric shock. However, there is some danger that the rivets 22 may possibly conduct electric current from the exterior of the outer shell 11 through the securing portion 27 of the mounting means 15 and into the laterally extending arms 25 and the fastening bar 32 thereof, thus permitting current to ow through the head-engaging straps 20 and the headband 19. The conductivity of the headband 19 and the straps 20 is frequently augmented by perspiration of the wearer of the hat and the normally insulative qualities of the fabric or leather utilized therein are lost. Furthermore, the laterally extending mounting arms 25, being formed of metal and encompassing the greater portion of the perimeter of the head of the wearer 0f the hat, serve as conductors of electric current.

The electric isolation of the fastening means 22 which secure the mounting means 15 to the shell 11 can be accomplished in a variety of ways. In the rst place, the rivets 22 can be formed of plastic and thus resist oompletely the ilow of electric current into the mounting means secured thereby. However, since such plastic rivets are frequently unable to sustain the shear loads imposed by the blows which safety hats of this character must sustain, other alternative constructions are shown in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings. i

A recess 72 adjacent the securingportions 27 of the mounting means is dened between the. instruck seg-v ments 30 and 33 of the mounting means and, as best.

shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, mayV have deposited therein a block 73 of dielectric material which may be constituted by a preformed rubber grommet 74 or may be poured into the recess 72 in the formk of rubber cement or other thermoplastic material. If the mounting means 15 are formed of dielectric material, the block 73 can be formed integrally therewith. It will be noted that a depression 75 is provided in the inner face of the block 73 to receive the head of the rivet 22 to isolate it `from possible contact with the headband 19 or any portion of the head of the wearer of the hat. Itl will also be noted that the opening 28 in the securing portion 27 ofthe mounting means 15 has been substantially to isolate it from electrical conductive contact lwith the shankof the metallic rivet 22. 1 y

A somewhat similar construction `to Vthat shown in Fig, 9 of the drawings is disclosed in Fig. 10 with ythe exception that the opening 28 in the securing portion 27V of the mounting means 15 has been'enlarged suiiiciently to accommodate a plastic shroud 80 encompassing the shank and inner head of the rivet 22. Therefore, the necessity for the oversize opening 28 provided inthe construction of Fig. 9 is eliminated and a tighter and more secure construction is achieved.

l thus provide by my invention asafety'hat which includes mounting means adapted to secure the head-engaging cradle of the hat in spaced relationship with the shell thereof and to support the'headband of the cradle about the greater portion of its perimeter. Furthermore, the headband is easily removable from and installable upon the mounting means of the invention and ismaintained thereby in a predetermined configuration. The mounting means also serves to simultaneously secure the straps of the head-engaging cradle to the outer shell 11 of thesafety hat 10 and prevents the imposition of localized loads upon the head of the wearer of the hat. Other features of the invention, discussed at length above, co'n tribute to a safety hat which is comfortable, inexpensively manufactured, and lextremely durable" l claim as Vmy invention:

l. In asafety hat, the combination of: a head-protecting shell;l a'plurality oil cradle supporting means secured to the inner face of said shell and each .having a central rigid fasteningbar ,spaced fromthe .inner face'of said shell and a pair of'flexible spring ,arms integral therewith, Said spring arms extendingin opposite directions generally circumferentially of said shell from portions adjacent the cndsof said barand spaced from said shell; a headengaging cradle within and spaced from said shell, said cradle comprising head-engaging straps connected to each of said fastening bars at one end and to each other at their other ends and an annular headband having peripheral pockets receiving said spring arms, each of said spring arms extending snugly into its respective pocket a substantial distance and conforming closely to the curvature of said headband whereby to distribute, shock forces over a substantial portion of said headband.

2. A' safety hat as deiined in claim l wherein said spring, arms are of electricaily conductive material and are joined to the ends of said'fastening bars by securing portions defining inwardlyfacing recesses, said safety hat also including abody of insulating material in each recess, a socket in the inner face of each body of insulating' mat'erial, and headed Y fastening means extending through saidbodies and shell to secure said securing portions tosaid shell, the inner heads of said fastening means bcinglwithin' the confines of said sockets.

I Y References Cited in the tile of this patentY YUNITED STATES PATENTS i V2,025,772 vPunten r Dec. 3l, 1935 2,032,203 Dym v Feb.`25, 1936 2,112,383 .Sloan Mar. 29, 1938 I2,398,561 Ruggiero Apr. 16, 1946 2,455,797y Myers et al. Dec. 7, 1948 2,585,937 Johnson et al.' Feb. 19, 1952 2,617,988 ,Alesi s Nov. 18, 1952 f 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 279,112 Italy Oct. 3l, 1930 "996,612' France .f. Sept. 5, 1951 

